Post humiliation, Pak players look for solace with families

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has turned down a move by some of the national team players to allow them to have their wives and children with them until the conclusion of the third Test in England in August.

According to reliable sources close to the team, soon after Pakistan won the first Test at Lord’s, some senior players had spoken to the team manager, Intikhab Alam. “They asked Intikhab to get approval from the board that they could have their families stay with them until the third Test although the agreement was that the families would return home after the second Test,” one source said.

He said that the players had also asked the board to bear expenses for the boarding-lodging and travelling of their families after the first Test.

“But the PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan who is in England at the moment after consulting his aides has turned down this demand from the players,” the source added.

The board had made it clear before the start of the tour that the wives and children of players could only travel and stay with them in England for the first two Tests. “The board’s point of view is that given the importance of the tour the players needed to focus on their cricket and could only have their families for the first two Tests,” he stated.

The source said there was pressure on Shaharyar to accept the demand of the players after the first Test win but after the way the team had struggled in the second Test at Old Trafford, he had listened to the advice of his aides.

Ironically the professional players argue that remaining away from their families for long periods does have a negative effect on their performances due to the home sick factor.

Most of the players including captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Muhammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Yasir Shah, Asad Shafiq etc have taken their wives or children with them to England.